REA's New SAT 2005: Inside Out!

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Summary: Finally! A Smart Test Prep Book Geared For Teens!
Review: As a counselor whose students are directly affected by the New SAT, I have been very pleased to find New SAT 2005: Inside Out!. Actually, it was two of my students who first directed me to the book before school let out. They had been looking on-line for a helpful book detailing the changes for the new SAT, and they both felt (as do I) that this book certainly fit the bill, but that it was also a very different test preparation book - one that other students their age could relate to. New SAT 2005: Inside Out! is not your average SAT book. This work not only helps students understand all the changes for the test, but also presents excellent sample questions and explanations in a fresh, direct, and humorous manner. This is the perfect book for a teenager! Through the characters that represent the problems many students have when taking the SAT (my students really enjoy the fumbling character, Zino) and the overall imaginative and amusing presentation of the test material, the author really strives to remove the intense anxiety that so many students feel about taking the SAT. The SAT is stressful, and this book helps to relieve some of that stress through humor, while at the same time giving students what they need to succeed on the test. The author even points out that it would be helpful for students to use New SAT 2005: Inside Out! in conjunction with the book of actual SAT tests that the College Board releases. This is is an great approach as students can truly benefit immensely from practicing with real tests and using New SAT 2005: Inside Out! as the tool through which to really understand the SAT and the techniques and explanations the test requires. I think that without really knowing it, teenagers, parents and teachers have been waiting for a book with a unique approach like this for a very long time.

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Summary: WARNING: if you lack a sense of humor - don't buy this book!
Review: As grandparents, we were looking for a book to give to our grandchildren to prepare for the new SAT. We were very impressed with this book. Although REA's book is a lot of fun, the reader gets much more than fun. The author's sense of humor helps interest the reader in learning how to think while preparing for the SAT. This book doesn't pretend to have all the answers as some SAT books claim, but it definitely gets students interested in thinking logically so that they develop an understanding of multiple choice questions and avoid the tricks which often lead to incorrect answers. If you believe that you can learn and have fun at the same time - then this book is right for you!

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Summary: A real disappointment
Review: I was very excited to get this book, because it was one of the first on the New SAT I coming in 2005. I am an English teacher putting together a program for the new SAT I, and I was hoping for a guide written by good teachers with lots of great practice and explanations, because ultimately, this is what kids really need if they are going to improve their scores dramatically. The LAST thing they need is a cutesy and trying-hard-to-be-hip guide to "cracking" the SAT I. Been there, done that: here are a half-dozen books that do it better than REA. (Dr. S. A Tea? ugh.) If you just want to be entertained, buy Up Your Score. The fact is that the SAT I is not about test-taking tricks, it's a difficult test of real academic skills. I was terribly disappointed in this book. The practice is very weak, the design abysmal, and most of the advice simply regurgitates what Barron's, Princeton Review and Kaplan have been saying for decades, but less coherently. I ultimately chose McGraw-Hill's SAT I for my class, which has far more effective practice coupled with excellent answer explanations, but most importantly for me, as a teacher and parent, is that it doesn't treat kids like morons, and actually focuses on the real skills that the SAT I is based on. The bottom line is: don't judge a book by its cover. Take a good look inside. I'm quite surprised to see some of the other reviews on this page, and have to wonder if they've actually read the book.